Police confirm deaths in Sabon Birni boat mishap as villagers flee Lakurawa attack.
Fear gripped Sokoto State on Saturday after several villagers drowned in a boat mishap while fleeing a fresh Lakurawa terrorist attack in Sabon Birni Local Government Area.
The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed the incident, noting that search and rescue operations are ongoing. Officials said the exact number of passengers aboard the ill-fated boat has not yet been determined.
Eyewitnesses reported that the victims, desperate to escape marauding bandits, overloaded the boat, which capsized midway across the river.
This marks the fourth deadly boat accident in less than two months in Sokoto, raising concerns about the mounting humanitarian toll of insecurity and unsafe water transport.
Residents say Sabon Birni, birthplace of Deputy Governor Idris Muhammad Gobir, remains under siege, with criminal gangs burning farmlands, abducting villagers, and forcing mass displacement.
Civil society groups fault authorities for failing to address both insecurity and transport hazards, warning Sokoto risks deeper tragedy without urgent intervention.